The awards ceremony saw Alstom come out on top in the “Products & Marketing” category. The French manufacturer was recognised for its “world’s first” hydrogen fuel cell-powered passenger train, the Coradia iLint.

The hydrogen fuel cell powered regional train emits no carbon and is capable of operating in near silence. It offers an alternative to diesel trains for operation on non-electrified railway lines.

Two of Alston’s fuel cell trains have been in service in Lower Saxony, Germany since 2018. More recently, two larger have been placed by Lower Saxony and Hessen.

The award ceremony also saw Hahn-Schickard win the “Research & Development” award for its electrolysis material.

Researchers at the Hahn-Schickard-Institute for Microanalyysis Systems in Freiburg succeeded in making the hydrogen electrolysis cell cheaper and more efficient.

In electrolysis, electrical energy is used to generate hydrogen and oxygen from water. The hydrogen is then available as a climate-neutral energy source for a variety of applications.

“In my opinion, hydrogen and fuel cell technology can play a decisive role in the implementation of a climate-friendly transport revolution,” said Minister Franz Untersteller.

“Events such as f-cell are extremely important for the industry and international exchange and knowledge transfer. I am extremely pleased that the f-cell here in Stuttgart is helping to develop the energy storage and mobility of tomorrow.”

During the awards ceremony, the four winners of the 24-hour hydrogen challenge were also recognised.

On Monday 9th September (2019), four teams set off in fuel cell vehicles for a one-day round trip. The challenge saw the teams drive across Germany on their own routes, visiting landmarks or places with the relationship to hydrogen, receiving points each time.

‘Weiter mit Wasserstoff’ was crowned the most efficient and fastest team in the challenge. Hydrogen for the fuel cell vehicles was sponsored by the H2 Mobility consortium at its hydrogen filling stations.

“There is enormous potential for climate protection in the transport sector. The technology is market-ready and a real alternative when it comes to long range travel – as the challenge has impressively demonstrated,” said Nikolas Iwan, Managing Director of H2 Mobility.

Molly Burgess is the News Journalist at H2 View. Molly is primarily responsible for North American news and exclusives across the website and looks forward to hearing from you – and telling your story.